As Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s brutal legal battles rage on, there’s been a lot of speculation about what the damage to their reputations could do to the two stars’ careers. Some have wondered if Warner Bros. might end up firing either or both parties from their roles in two of the studio’s biggest franchises – the Wizarding World and the DCEU. The latest news on the topic, however, practically confirms that they won’t be let go, as Heard fully expects to be involved with Aquaman 2.
As per Deadline, Depp has requested that his $50 million defamation lawsuit be postponed from its planned January date until March-June to accommodate filming on Fantastic Beasts 3, which was supposed to have occurred over this past summer but was delayed thanks to the pandemic. Depp, Heard and their representatives are set to discuss this matter on September 11th.
It’s said that Heard will only agree to the proposed postponement so long as it “would not entail any prejudice to her, much less unfair prejudice” as she expects to shoot a new movie herself next year – the aforementioned Aquaman sequel opposite Jason Momoa. Heard joined the franchise in Justice League as Mera, future wife of the nautical hero and queen of the ocean. She last played the part in 2018’s smash hit Aquaman, which earned over $1 billion worldwide.
WB clearly wouldn’t want to mess with that formula, then, so it’s not all that surprising that the studio has apparently elected to keep Heard aboard for the sequel and likely subsequent films after that, too. Still, the negative blowback caused by her court case against Depp, which has seen various unsavoury past actions from both of them come to light, has resulted in many calling for her removal. In fact, one such petition is close to 500K signatures.
With James Wan returning to direct, Aquaman 2 is currently pencilled in for release on December 16th, 2022.